Rob Mac......

Good get fndee. I hadn't noticed that at the game or on the replay.

6. T McDonald 5. Watts 4. Jones 3. Garland 2. Dunn 1. Viney Best game I've been to for years!

It is in stereo with Robbo to the left and Dom to the right, so if you're hearing much more of one than the other, the problem is in your playback. If you can adjust your computer to hear equal amounts of left and right, the balance will be good. Though not really a "roast", I enjoyed the relaxed kicking & handball conversation. Robbo didn't have to move his hands.

I enjoyed it. Not genius comedy material but good for team spirit to have them laugh at themselves. Kindhearted.

... was just naively watching it on afl.com.au to see some good players, then suddenly WOOOOAAAAHHH Yes! Nathan at last!! So happy

Thanks for replying to my post GRRM. I believe you if you say other teams did that with success. Thanks, - I wouldn't know, don't follow Casey much, let alone other clubs seconds. I always found Neeld hopeless, and agree with your last paragraph. Cheers

Hi Monde. I'm sure your heart's in the right place and maybe you're correct, but when you advocated getting 50 games into these "potential" players, my thoughts were: Having the team as good as possible right now (by playing the best 22) as opposed to keeping better players out to get games into "potential" stars achieves more wins which is good for player and supporter morale, and provides an immediately higher on-field performance standard which must help team development. Does an inferior player with potential necessarily improve faster in the firsts than the seconds? Depends on the player and situation. Probably more-so in soccer than the rougher Australian Rules. Letting young potential stars feel, as you advocated, that they'll get a game for 2 -3 years whether they pull their weight or not seems a way to encourage a sense of entitlement in them, insufficient consequences for laziness. How to turn a potential star into Col Sylvia. (Apologies for that cheap shot). Not to mention annoying/depressing the better player(s) trying to earn a spot on the team. Perhaps I don't quite have Toumpas in my best 22 and think he may develop just as quickly in the magoos, but what would I know? I also don't have most of your so-called list cloggers either. From what little I've seen; Frost, Newton, Van, H, Garlett, Hogan are new additions worth another game, plus Kent's come on, maybe plenty of new blood has already displaced "cloggers" by virtue of their playing, without having to gift players games to "get games into them". I'm painting with a wide brush, speaking in general. Each case is separate and a matter of degree. I trust Roos etc. to know what to do this time. Looking forward to this season ahead. Cheers

Great to get a training report Maldon But i was complaining.. If MFC could send a bulk emailing to tell members about the event, they could have sent another bulk emailing and/or bulk sms to inform everyone it was running way late. Also they should have sent someone to Goshs's to personally apologize, hopefully with an explanation. I really adore what PJ, Roos etc are doing with the "football" side of things now. It wouldn't take a huge tweek now to improve the club member relations side of things, which seems to have slipped since Schwab left. The fans ultimately pay for the club.

The above 2 posts from "Monde" seem to espouse the Neeldesque philosophy of getting games into young players who appear to have more potential, rather than playing the best 22 available each week. The Roos style (of players having to earn their place) is more the "best 22" philosophy and it results in (1) a better chance of winning that game because the best team is playing, as well as (2) sending players the simple message that they must be playing well enough to earn a game in the firsts. --surely encouragement to pull ones finger out, to work and become good enough. Alternatively before Roos, too many players seemed confident of their place in the team and content to cruise, accepting the low standards.

Hey, good to hear from you again. Yes, see you at the game if you like?

Is that a good place CBDees? How's the food? I'm back visiting from the USA & not familiar with Melbourne sports bars etc.. Recommendations from anyone most appreciated. Was thinking of the Bentleigh club as it's nearby? Thanks

Dawes: I thought he played FF at the Pies & they &/or he said he was poor at CHF? Yes he's a good enforcer. ..has good work rate, tackling/defensive side, but others are getting good at that now. Posters say he gets to many contests. But everyone kicks to him all the time! I remember being at the Etihad Brisbane loss watching Watts being ignored when free and clear calling for the ball, yet every time they'd bomb it to a manned Dawes who'd usually loose it. Frustrating! HATE to say it, but delivery to Dawes has been just as good as it ever was to that [censored] Mitch Clark, but Clark marked and goaled. I still think we could have got him for $100k less per year. He's useful but overpaid for someone who can't mark or kick goals well. I suspect he's not judging the balls flight perfectly, hence iron hands. Perhaps his eyes don't change focal length quickly enough. Optometrists usually don't test for this, so don't pick this problem up when doing a normal eye exam. I had & have the same problem, now I can't change focus at all, so have 4 different glasses prescriptions for different distances. There are eye exercises that improve the eyes ability to quickly change focal length. You focus on something that's being moved towards, then away from you. Cheers

No big deal, but I'm surprised Dunny's not there already, right after Chunk

Is it still on now? Anyone know what station please?

100% agree with all of this D4L. The part in bold of course is anyones fault except Watts. It's great he can find space like that. Ball carriers ignoring, therefor missing these opportunities he presents, should be roundly criticized. Watts is easily our most dangerous player when he has undisputed possession. Often he makes it easy to pass to him, players ignore the opportunity, yet I can't think of a single example of a player being criticized for that.?

Hello TDI. I have the same curiosity as Earl. After all the Mfc trainings you've seen, I'm curious how you or others compare theirs to ours?

Okay, I'll just 100% guess that several players will be found guilty and suspended. Suspensions back dated to make it sound a bigger penalty, but they'll miss at least the first 4 matches of the season (maybe 6?) otherwise the suspensions would be a total joke. They'll also remind everyone that Essendon's being pulled out of last years finals was part of their punishment. I base all this on absolutely nothing, no inside info whatsoever! Just thinking aloud. As well as the legal battle, pressure from the various factions for a solution they can reasonably move on from... Flagrant enough, serious offenses can't go unpunished, but they don't want to destroy the EFC either. Btw, about January 2013 my err very close relative, a doctor with AFL medical friends, told me this drug scandal would explode, dwarf the tanking issues (I couldn't post about it back then) and that Demetriou would try to be retired before it totally hit the fan.

I guess the AGM reminded many of how much better position we're in now with PJ instead of CS, the appointments and actions following from that, and how we now seem a club, still behind the leading clubs but, with everything in place to give us every chance to seriously rise again. In 2012 I felt there was so little serious footy (& other) nous at the club anywhere. Brocks stupid interview may have inadvertently sped our metamorphosis, but hurt our reputation. Especially frustrating as many other clubs, especially Brocks, had sinned as much or worse. Anyway let's forget all that water under the bridge, and enjoy having intelligent folk like PJ and PR around. I so hope we can keep PJ for many years, and Roos in some capacity!

Well I thought that was key to the ridicule Wormburner. Their intent was to innocently ridicule Harris for being a [censored] pedophile, so one dressed as a young girl and the other as Harris. Do you really not get where they were coming from, dumb though it was? Hey, I thought it was risky, dumb, naive and in poor taste, but without an ounce of malice toward child abuse victims, nor were they intending to portray child abuse as a less than serious offense, which was the only point of my comment above. The Melbourne players hearts were in a good place, they're good guys, they just stupidly, naively as kids do, underestimated how some would view their silly joke. They've been heavily whipped publicly, they apologized, hopefully their punishment should all be over now.

They weren't "making light of child abuse" at all, they were ridiculing Rolf Harris. Which is a completely different thing, almost the exact opposite.

Good clear photos. Thanks 13th

That's a point too LG! ..I removed the word "only" from my post

The reason a weaker EPL team is more likely than a weaker AFL side is to upset a power side on any given day is because a soccer final score could be two goals to one, therefor a lucky goal is far more likely to decide the result in a soccer match than in a footy match.

Jones is a class above, .has the loyalty, team spirit, all I loved from our '50's teams. A positive message. What a relief not to have a year of the usual codswallop about whether he'll re-sign etc.. Good on you Nathan Jones!

Great post RM, I've been saying this too.